1. Field of the Invention
The apparatus of the subject invention pertains to container means for use as a parking ticket collection apparatus which is preferably mounted within the trunk area of a motor vehicle to permit the insertion of at least one parking ticket through an opening in the outside of the vehicle body and into the container means.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Reference may be made to the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 2,941,837; 3,292,849; 3,341,116; 3,353,743; and 3,640,451. None of the prior art devices suggest the use of container means for use as a parking ticket collection apparatus which is preferably mounted within the trunk area of a motor vehicle to permit the insertion of at least one parking ticket from the outside of the motor vehicle into the container means and to prevent the unauthorized removal of the ticket therefrom.
Automobile rental companies are generally responsible for the payment of parking ticket fines incurred by their customers in the event that their cutomers do not pay the fines. Typically, at the time the vehicle is returned, the customer does not notify the rental company that a ticket was issued and the company has no practical way of knowing whether the customer has indeed received a ticket until well after the vehicle is returned. Consequently, the rental companies expend many thousands of dollars annually in the payment of parking ticket fines with little chance of reimbursement from their customers.
The municipalities issuing said tickets also lose many thousands of dollars annually by virtue of the fact that they typically settle their cases against the rental companies for the collection of the ticket fines for lump sum amounts that are less than the face value of the fines.
Obviously, there is a need for an apparatus which would permit the rental company, at the time the vehicle is returned by its customer, to verify that a ticket has indeed been issued and to thus collect the amount of the fine. The use of such an apparatus would enable the rental company to collect a reasonable deposit before the vehicle is delivered to the customer to guarantee the payment of any ticket fines incurred by the customer during the rental period.